North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emphasized on Saturday the deep connections between his country and Russia, characterized by shared experiences of “blood, life, and death” amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as he conveyed New Year’s greetings to President Vladimir Putin.

According to intelligence from South Korean and Western sources, Pyongyang has sent thousands of soldiers to assist Moscow in its nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine.

In his message released by the state-controlled KCNA news agency, Kim referred to the year 2025 as a “significant year” for their alliance, which he stated was reinforced by “sharing blood, life, and death in the same trench.”

North Korea only acknowledged in April that it had deployed troops to support Russia’s military efforts in Ukraine, revealing that some of its soldiers had died in combat.

Earlier this month, Pyongyang also confirmed that it had sent troops to assist in mine-clearing operations in Russia’s Kursk region in August 2025.

During a December 12 speech welcoming home the engineering regiment, Kim disclosed that at least nine soldiers were killed during their 120-day mission.

Kim sent his New Year’s greetings to Putin just a day after directing officials to increase missile production efforts.

In recent years, North Korea has ramped up its missile testing, which analysts suggest is aimed at enhancing precision strike capabilities and testing various weapons systems before potentially exporting them to Russia, all while posing a challenge to the United States and South Korea.

In addition to deploying troops to fight alongside Russia, North Korea has also supplied artillery shells, missiles, and long-range rocket systems.

In exchange, analysts indicate that Russia is providing North Korea with financial support, military technology, as well as food and energy resources.